UK foreign office minister meets Moroccan official

British foreign office minister, Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean, currently on a 3-day working visit to Morocco, met in Rabat Tuesday Moroccan state secretary of foreign affairs and cooperation, Taib Fasi Fihri.

The meeting covered bilateral and international issues, including the situation in Iraq and the latest developments of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the British official said, adding that opinions converged on several points.

Talks also dealt with economic and education cooperation, the Maghreb Union and terrorism fighting collaboration.

We should help each other to protect Moroccan and British peoples from these atrocities, she said.

On his part, Fassi Fihri said economic ties between the two countries have considerably progressed thanks to Morocco's efforts to draw British investments.

The Moroccan official said he reiterated the Kingdom's position on the Sahara issue and its support for a political solution, provided that it guarantees its territorial integrity.

He has also voiced king Mohammed VI's concern over the situation in the Middle East and the Israeli decision to expel Arafat.